Darth Vader made his way through the nearly 300 yard wide hangar on the imperial star destroyer. An imperial drop ship rested on the polished black sheen of the durasteel surface that was the hangar floor. At the ships flanks was a squad of the 501'st finest Storm troopers, two commandos, four snipers, 6 heavy assaults and 3 dark troopers. Though he doubted he would require any sort of protection from them, it would be difficult to operate a ships controls while fighting off a dozen or so of these Shinobi. On the ships ramp was the ships Xo admiral Karsaak, an extraordinarily dull individual with little actual competence for his work, merely plenty political pull with his family. Marching up to Karsaak Vader towered over the minuscule man who straightened, gulping a bit as he bowed to the dark lord. "Lord Vader. Everything is in order as you requested."

"It had better be commander. Your predecessor made the mistake of failing me. Surely you are not so foolish as to make the same mistake." Was the Dark lords warning before marching into the drop ship, the 501st squad making their way behind him and soon taking up their seats on the ships sides. Vader entered the ship, taking the pilots seat as he began flicking several switches, the propulsor engines revved up, their low hum vibrating throughout the ships hull as he eased the ship up, retracting the landing gear before exiting the hangar, heading towards the third planet of the system.

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Grand Jedi Master Yoda was what some would call him...or would have called him at a different time...a more civilized time...a time before all this. Before the empire. Before the Dark Side had risen...before the Jedi had fallen...

The minuscule green alien currently sat in his hut, brown eyes fixed solely onto the small cylindrical shaped com link...a com. link that had been given to him freely...but one he had vowed never to use.

Though he hid it from the world...even from himself. His mistakes had shaken him deeply. Rocked the foundation of confidence and sureness that had constantly lined his every action...his every step. He had lived for nearly a millenia...and he had not known defeat since his padawan days...was he so old when he fought palpatine? So much past his prime that he could not even defeat one aging human? Palpatine was strong that was granted but so was Yoda. Hailed as the strongest and wisest of the Jedi Masters, he had centuries of experience over Palpatine and every advantage in that fight. But...despite all this...he had lost. And that fact...that one...cold brutal fact was the key factor that kept Yoda on this dark planet known as Dagohbah. Vader, with the loss of his arms and legs had also lost vast amounts of his former strength. Strong he still was, true...but the force did not flow through machines. He was a shadow of what he could have been. He knew there were other Jedi out there that still lived besides

him and Obi-Wan. He knew that if properly regrouped and organized. They could unleash a single, final attempt to destroy Palpatine and Vader...but.

But...He...Yoda...the Grand master of the order...was afraid.

When he had felt all those Jedi...all his brethren, falling, one by one, candles of life snuffed out in seconds. He felt as if his own heart was being torn from his chest.

His brothers...his family...his children...that's what they were to him. And he had felt them all die as if every life was a knife through his very soul.

'Mourn them not...for now...one with the force...they are.'

Thats what he had told Obi-Wan...but the words were empty, unfeeling. Void. The Jedi doctrines felt cold on that day, monstrous.

And Yoda remembered...that for a moment...a very brief moment...he hated the Jedi code.

Many of his former Jedi had dismantled their light sabers, now with families and loved ones of their own, forsaking the Jedi way...who was he to call them back?

Who was he to tear apart their homes...for a doctrine that had long been proven to be outdated.

There were some that would be willing to fight true...but would those be enough to defeat Vader, or the Emperor?

Would he...be enough to defeat them? To lead the Jedi as he had before?

He knew the answer to his question...but afraid he was.

Could he do it? Could he risk once again going through the pain of loosing a son...or a daughter. For no longer were they pupils...each one meant so much more. The grand master was not certain.

Still the force could not be denied. Ripples, subtle disturbances, shifts...he had been feeling them for almost the last five years, growing stronger and stronger with every passing. Something was happening, and the Force was clouded once again, the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance between two sides of the same coin.

Slowly, with a hesitant claw he gripped the .

This was given to him by one man. The man all the Jedi trusted with their lives. The man whom had proven himself time and time again as the Jedi's greatest ally. The one man they trusted enough to guard all of their locations with his life.

"Master Organa." The alien spoke, the gravely voice reaching into a comunicator he'd swore to never use.

To give an order, he swore he'd never give.

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The drop ship punched a hole through the atmosphere, descending rapidly. Vader pulled back on the throttle, as the ship finally dropped to an altitude of merely seven hundred feet, passing over a great forest and frightening the local wildlife as the creatures had never seen a ship like this before.

Soon he came upon the sight of land and a village, which he knew was Konoha, since he knew the village's symbol. He maneuvered the ship to land.

The ship gave a hiss as it finally rested on its perch, the wings folding up and the landing gear dropping to allow the ship to rest on its newly found surface. Darth Vader watched from the front view port as civilians of the village crowded around the square, awe and hesitant fear etched on their faces. Shinobi stood between them and the ship, keeping a perimeter as was their standard military procedure. Vader could sense others, ones far more powerful than their current opposition approaching rapidly, no doubt that woman, Tsunade was now approaching. He stood from the seat, the troopers in the ship stood at attention, their weapons primed and ready to be used. Vader used the force to flip the switch of the loading ramp doors, opening them slowly, he could sense the sudden spike of fear in the force around him. The troopers filed out in their standard military formation, the two commandos kneeling on either side of the ramp as assault formed a perimeter around the ships hull, the six assault squad members,three on each side forming a semi circle.

The three Dark Troopers stood behind the Dark Lord as Vader himself made his exit, his massive hulking form clearly singling him out as the prime target should hostilities break out, the presence of this villages Anbu making themselves known to him. The mask, specifically designed to inspire fear, served its purpose, as the ripple in the force indicated clearly. He made his way to the nearest visible Shinobi, one of their chuunin judging by his vest. The man trembled, attempting to put up a brave front but failing miserably in the oppressive presence of the dark lord. Before Vader made it to the man however, three Anbu appeared in front of him. The dark lord, though slightly surprised at their skills paid little heed to their threat as he glared into the animal mask of the apparent captain. "Where is your Kage?" The name rolled off his tongue strangely, the alien word making him frown in distaste.

As the Dark Lord finished his question a voice to his immediate right spoke up, drawing his attention to the female who spoke. "Right Here."

Vader recognized her the moment he laid eyes on her. The droids holo vids had captured the leaders of every village numerous times, recognizing their political importance through the processor chip that designated spy targets by priority, and these government leaders were certainly at the top of the list of every droid he had sent down here for the last four years. Rounding on her to face her fully, the Dark Lord spoke. "I am Darth Vader. I come to your planet in order to discuss terms to a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Tsunade glanced towards the alien craft, the dozen or so soldiers gathered at its entrance. This man claimed he had "come to this planet" so as a given, this meant he had come from another one entirely. Glancing toward the assembled crowd consisting mostly of civilians she decided this was not the best place for such a discussion. "Bring him." She said, glancing at the Anbu captain next to the Dark Lord before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

Vader had seen this technique with the droids and so knew the Captains intent when the man put his hand on his shoulder.

And so, a second later the Dark lord too vanished in a cloud of smoke.

When he reappeared a moment later he saw he was in a room, an office, Tsunade standing behind a desk directly in front of him, The Anbu captain soon vanishing in a cloud of smoke, leaving him alone with the Kage.

"Now..." She began, leaning forward on the desk. "What's this about?" She questioned, her voice dropping to a dangerous octave. "What was that vessel you arrived in and how does it fly"

Vader said nothing for a moment, his only response was the sound of his air purifier at work with every breath he took. Tsunade didn't know what it was about the sound but it thoroughly creeped her out, especially in this silence.

Vader slowly brought both hands up to his chest, clenching them into tight fists, his shoulders tightening with visible effort. For a moment Tsunade thought the man had become constipated, but this was soon out of her mind as Vader's hands flew apart to either side of him. And, what she could only describe as a massive gust of wind pushed her back several inches before she was able to properly brace herself.

The walls around her buckled, glass shattered and groaning metal reached her ears. Tsunade's eyes never left Vader's massive form, eyes narrowed and body tense with anticipation. The walls around them seemed to fade, melting away revealing rusty old walls, the balcony replaced by a small two foot wide, half foot high window, the furniture replaced by nearly a dozen Anbu, all surrounding Vader with weapons poised for the kill.

"We should be honest with each other...Tsunade." He said, pausing as he searched his memory for the womans name. His arms returned, crossing themselves over his chest. "If we are to conduct proper negotiations." He added as an afterthought.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, that was a very carefully crafted Genjutsu that had been made around this room.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"As I said. I, am Darth Vader."

Tsunade straightened to her full height, though he still towered over her. "Just what is it you want to negotiate about...Vader."

Again there was silence for a moment, broken only by the sound of his breathing.

Finally he spoke. "My spies have been observing this planet for some time, and you have techniques and abilities that interest me. I would like to learn how to use these techniques and in exchange you will receive the assistance of myself, and the 501st legion currently under my command.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. So this...alien...had his own spy network here on earth somehow. She'd have to find out how and neutralize it as soon as she did. Still, perhaps she could get a bit more off this deal than what he was currently offering. "What about that machine...the ship that brought you here."

"You may keep it, there are thousands more in my fleet, as well as medical and weapons technology aboard my Star Destroy which is in high orbit above the planet."

Vader was being ridiculously generous and purposely so. He wasn't sure how long it would take him to learn how to use their strange skills but he was certain that he would be long finished before they could adapt the technology into their world. And, as a result, so would his need of them.

Tsunade remained silent for a moment, deep in thought as she considered the implications of his offer. The fact that he came here to learn their technique meant he, as a given, did not know Ninjutsu. But from what she'd seen, their technology was advanced, and this unknown factor may give them the edge of surprise if nothing else against Iwa and Oto.

But still this was too big of a decision for her to make on her own, it needed to be discussed with the other higher ups of the Konoha governing body. She was about to open her mouth to say just that when an explosion near the village square made the earth shake and the walls rumble.

Darth Vader drew his light saber into his hand, as the Anbu readied their weapons, suspicion of the Dark Lords hand in the event clearly evident. The red hue of the light saber cast his mask into an unholy light that struck a deep chord in all the ninja who looked upon it. Before all hell could break loose however an Anbu captain appeared in a cloud of smoke. "Lady Hokage, we're under attack. Oto and Iwa have infiltrated the village."

The tension of the room dissipated a bit as Darth Vader turned off his light saber and straightened again to his full height. "It appears as if my arrival has come at a most fortuitous time for you Tsunade."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed at that, it almost seemed TOO convenient. But she decided to disregard the Dark Lords presence for now. "Jiraiya's spy network said that they wouldn't be ready for two years. What are they doing attacking now?"

"Obviously." Vader drawled slowly. "Your spy was compromised and your village was given false information. Your arrogance has blinded you as much as it blinds Jedi."

His voice was laced with distaste, either for her actions or these "Jedi", or both, she couldn't tell nor did she care at the moment. "If you don't mind shut up!" She snarled before she began barking out orders to the Anbu, defensive tactics, battle plans and troop positions all flashing through her mind at near inhuman speed.

Vader growled, though his voice modulator didn't allow the sound to escape his mask, fighting the urge to choke the woman as he would any of his admirals. This was the field of a diplomat, not a sith lord. Analysis showed that Konoha was statistically the strongest of the five nations, and he needed the strongest, fastest results possible. And Konoha was his best bet. He would tolerate the foolish Tsunade...for now.

"Consider this..." He began, taking a moment to gather whatever little patience he had. "An act of good faith."

Tsunade turned to ask what the hell he was talking about when he raised his hand, thrusting it forward he blew apart the wall of the cell, massive rocks nearly two tons heavy falling down towards the forest floor. Walking towards the opening he realized that this prison complex was hidden next to their Monument dedicated to their previous leaders. Carved deep into the mountain. These humans were interesting indeed.

Tsunade, who had been forced to brace herself due to the force of whatever he had done, could only watch dumbly as the Dark Lord "Lunged" from the opening, covering the nearly one hundred yard distance between the opening and the nearest Konoha building in a single bound.

Vader pulled the radio from his belt. "Commander." His voice drawled, his cape whipping behind him as he descended towards the wooden roof.

"Yes lord Vader?" One of the Commandos voices drifted into his audio receptors from the radio.

"Form a defensive perimeter around the village square, have the Dark Troopers lift the snipers onto key positions in order to better defend the entrances to the square and protect the snipers once they've arrived. Do not loose that ship commander."

"Yes lord Vader."

The Dark Lord shut off the radio, hooking it back onto his belt before he crashed down onto the roof with a resounding "BOOM". His form crouched for a moment before he stood, Activating his light saber.

The Dark Lord of the Sith was ready for battle.